Month: October 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON – Darnell Sterling, 57, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of charges stemming from the murder of his girlfriend, whose body has never been recovered, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Sterling was found guilty on Oct. 3, 2022, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of second-degree murder and a related charge of contempt. He is to be sentenced on Feb. 3, 2023, by the Honorable Maribeth Raffinan.

            According to the government’s evidence, in the early morning hours of July 17, 2020, Sterling fatally attacked the victim, Olga Ooro, 34, inside her apartment in the 300 block of Massachusetts Avenue NW. Ms. Ooro’s body has never been found.  Sterling killed Ms. Ooro while her seven-year-old son was asleep, in the apartment, in his own bedroom.  He cleaned up the crime scene and left the building.  He then returned the next night and used Ms. Ooro’s keys to enter the building and retrieve the body from a hidden location.  He then loaded the body into his car and disposed of it.

            Ms. Ooro was reported missing after her son was found wandering the apartment building. 

            At the time of the murder, Sterling was under a court order to stay away from Ms. Ooro, following his arrest for assaulting her on April 20, 2020.

            Sterling was arrested in the murder case on July 23, 2020. He has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the FBI, the Maryland State Police, the Ocean City, Maryland, Police Department, the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, and Bode Technology.  They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Tasha Harris; Paralegal Specialist Stephanie Gilbert; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Victim/Witness Advocate Christina Bloodworth; former Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker; Maenylie Watson, Tonya Jones, and Katina Adams-Washington, of the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit; Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling; Litigation Technology Specialist Maisha Treadwell, and Intern Ahna Halpern.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Liebman and Kristian Hinson, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati man was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 37 months in prison for illegally possessing a pistol that had been converted into an automatic weapon, which he used in self-defense during a shootout outside a restaurant.

“Even if you use the firearm in self-defense, it is illegal to possess an automatic weapon like the one used in this case, and you are breaking the law,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “My office will hold you accountable for these types of firearms and you will spend time in federal prison.”

Gionni Dews, 23, took the loaded, converted firearm to his job at IHOP in Oakley on Nov. 26, 2021.

At some point that evening, Dews got into a physical altercation with a coworker. Dews then walked off the job and waited outside for a friend to pick him up.

About 15 minutes after the initial altercation, an adult male confronted Dews and allegedly started shooting at him, striking Dews in the leg. Dews ran away while shooting back toward the other man, unloading more than 20 rounds in rapid succession. Some of the rounds hit the IHOP.

Dews’s friend arrived in an SUV, and Dews ran to the vehicle. The men then led police on a high-speed chase onto I-71. The driver of the SUV swerved into a guardrail as the SUV exited the expressway, and Dews threw the loaded gun out of the passenger window.

Dews was eventually driven to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he was treated for a bullet wound in his leg.

Dews was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2022 and pleaded guilty in March 2022 to illegally possessing a machine gun.

Sentencing of defendants is determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); and Cincinnati Interim Police Chief Lt. Col. Teresa A. Theetge announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Matthew W. McFarland. Assistant United States Attorney Julie D. Garcia is representing the United States in this case.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

A federal jury found Patrick Campbell, of Sierra Leone, not guilty of the charges that were announced in the press release that appears below, originally issued on August 22, 2013.

A federal judge entered a judgment of acquittal in Campbell’s case on May 19, 2014.  

Titled Individual Charged With Brokering Uranium Deal Intended For Supply To Iran

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Alysa D. Erichs, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), announce today that Patrick Campbell, 33, of Freetown, Sierra Leone, was arrested yesterday in Queens, NY as a result of an investigation conducted by the ICE-HSI. Campbell made his initial appearance earlier today in the Eastern District of New York.

According to the criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of Florida, Patrick Campbell was charged with brokering the supply of goods which the defendant knew were destined and intended for supply to Iran, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) Title 50, United States Code, Section 1701, 1705 and the Iranian Transaction Regulations, 31 CFR 560.416, 560,204 and 560.203. If convicted, Campbell faces a possible statutory maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison, followed by a term of three years of supervised release, and a possible $1,000,000 fine.

The criminal complaint alleges that on August 21, 2013, Campbell traveled to the United States from Sierra Leone and brought with him a sample of uranium, concealed in the soles of the shoes in his luggage, which he believed was to be provided to a representative of individuals seeking to obtain uranium for supply to Iran.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of ICE-HSI, the Port Authority of New York and the New Jersey Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Walleisa.

A criminal complaint is only an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Attachment:

Patrick Campbell Complaint (PDF)

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

CINCINNATI – United States Attorney Kenneth L. Parker announced today the creation of an environmental justice initiative in the Southern District of Ohio.

Members of the public may now report potential environmental violations by emailing USAOHS.Environment@usdoj.gov.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio is committed to enforcing all environmental laws and ensuring a safe and healthy environment for all Ohioans,” said U.S. Attorney Parker.

This includes addressing any violation concerning discriminatory environmental and health impacts.

“Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people with respect to developing, implementing and enforcing environmental law,” U.S. Attorney Parker added. “We are committed to ensuring that all individuals receive equal protection under environmental laws, regardless of race, color, national origin, or income.”

Other potential environmental violations may involve topics such as air quality, drinking water, asbestos, lead paint, dangerous workplace conditions, endangered species or chemicals harming wildlife.

For more details, see the environmental justice information sheet now available on the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s website at: justice.gov/usao-sdoh. The sheet contains contact information for several federal agencies including U.S. EPA, OSHA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, FDA, Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Transportation and Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Special Assistant United States Attorney Adam Cullman serves as the District’s Environmental Justice Coordinator.

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Source: United States Department of Justice News

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that MARCUS CHAMBERS, a/k/a “Chino,” a/k/a “Chi D,” a/k/a “SP,” was sentenced yesterday to 20 years in prison for the 2011 murder of Jonathan Johnson, 21, on March 18, 2011, in White Plains, New York.  On December 20, 2021, CHAMBERS pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Nelson S. Román, who imposed his sentence.

According to the allegations in the Indictment to which the defendant pled guilty and statements made in public court proceedings:[1]

On or about March 18, 2011, CHAMBERS and his co-defendant DARNELL KIDD murdered Jonathan Johnson by shooting him during the course of an armed robbery for marijuana in White Plains, New York. CHAMBERS arranged by phone to purchase the marijuana from Johnson. CHAMBERS and KIDD met with Johnson to rob him of marijuana, and during the robbery, Johnson was shot and killed.

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In addition to his prison term, CHAMBERS, 31, of Yonkers, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the White Plains Police Department and the FBI Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force, which comprises agents and task force officers from the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, United States Probation Office, New York State Police, New York City Police Department, Mount Vernon Police Department, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, Town of Ramapo Police Department, Yonkers Police Department, Greenburgh Police Department, Peekskill Police Department, Westchester County Police Department, and Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.  Mr. Williams also thanked the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office for its assistance in this matter.

This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division.  Assistant United States Attorneys Olga I. Zverovich, Christopher Brumwell, and Steven J. Kochevar and Paralegal Specialist Shannon Becker are in charge of the prosecution.

The allegations contained in the Indictment against DARNELL KIDD are merely accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.